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Over the past few months, Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has easily been one of the biggest names on the MLB trading block. While many of the rumors have involved teams such as the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and now the Houston Astros, it may be time for the Detroit Tigers to begin thinking about throwing their hat into the ring.
Over the offseason, many wondered what Detroit’s starting rotation would look like without Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. Well, it would suffice to say that the Tigers’ staff has been a rather inconsistent group thus far in 2015.
Sure, David Price has been doing nice work as the Tigers’ ace for the most part, going 3-1 with a 3.40 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP, but there are still too many question marks after him. Perhaps most troubling is the fact that Anibal Sanchez has gone 3-5 with an uncharacteristic 5.60 ERA over his first nine starts, which isn’t quite cutting it for a No. 2 starter.
Alfredo Simon has been quite good up to this point, but he will need to avoid having another second-half collapse like the one he had last season with the Cincinnati Reds. The 26-year-old Shane Greene has been about as up-and-down as anyone in the Tigers’ rotation, and it will be interesting to see how well he will bounce back from his recent injury scare last Friday. Surprisingly enough, Kyle Lobstein, who is currently filling in for Justin Verlander, has actually been one of the Tigers’ more consistent starters, but he has certainly hit a rough patch or two himself.
With so many uncertainties in the rotation, Hamels would definitely be a nice addition. After all, the 31-year-old southpaw has been a big-time workhorse, throwing over 200 innings in each of the past five seasons. Over that stretch, he has never posted an ERA higher than 3.60 or a WHIP greater than 1.18. Obviously, he wouldn’t come cheap, though.
According to Baseball Reference, Hamels is making $23.5 million this year, a figure he will be earning annually through 2018. There is also a $20 million team option or $24 million vesting option for 2019. However, given the going rate for an ace these days, Hamels’ contract actually looks quite reasonable, and there is also the possibility that the Phillies could offer to eat some of his remaining salary. If the Tigers have doubts about their ability to re-sign Price, acquiring Hamels could also give them some security heading into 2016.
The biggest concern may be the issue of what it would cost to acquire Hamels in terms of talent. He is the Phillies’ most attractive trade chip, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to want to get a fair deal for his star.
The Tigers’ minor league program may not exactly be in terrific shape, but they still have a few fairly enticing prospects, two of whom are right-handed pitcher Buck Farmer and left-handed slugging outfielder Steven Moya. Center fielder and 2014 first-round draft pick Derek Hill could be a valuable trade chip as well, even though he is off to a rather slow start in Single-A West Michigan.
While it remains to be seen just how willing the Tigers are to deplete their farm system even further, it might be worth it for Hamels. One may also be inclined to argue that they should wait and see how Verlander fares upon his return prior to making a move, but it may be a bit risky to count on him returning to greatness at this point. There is also the possibility that another team could swoop in and make a move for Hamels before Verlander even returns to the mound.
The bottom line is that the Tigers are still trying to win their first championship since 1984. If their rotation continues to be as inconsistent as it has been up to this point, it is tough to see them making a deep postseason run. Acquiring Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP, may be exactly what it takes for the Tigers to get to where they want to go.
Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
